Chandpur: A calm beach destination

We were planning for a getaway near Kolkata. Chandpur popped up as a possible destination. Mashimoni told us that it is the newest beach destination near Kolkata. It’s on the Bay of Bengal. She arranged for the trip. We packed up our bags and headed for Chandpur. At a distance of around 170 km from Kolkata, Chandpur lies between Tajpur and Shankarpur beaches in the Contai (a.k.a. Kanthi) subdivision of Purba Medinipur district in the Indian state of West Bengal.

THE JOURNEY BEGINS

We were a bit late in leaving for Chandpur. We made pre-booking of the hotel rooms, as we didn’t want to be disappointed on reaching there since there is only one hotel that provides A/c rooms. We left for Chandpur at around 11.00 am. It was a bright day with some autumn white clouds in the sky.

We stopped at a road-side motel — Sher Bengal Hotel for our lunch.

The road to Chandpur gets diverted from Balsai towards Tajpur. Chandpur is after Tajpur beach towards Shankarpur and Digha on that road. The road up to Balsai is quite good. But the diversion road is a bumpy road and needs maintenance. The road is a narrow village road.

HOTEL MOON

We checked in the Hotel Moon. It is a very serene and nicely maintained new property bang on the beach. It provides decent food and lodging facilities.

There’s a wonderful roof-top view. We spent the evening on the roof with an uninterrupted view of the sea while bathing in the cool breeze from the sea and enjoyed the romanticism of the sea, water, soft wind and the vast sky overhead. It had become dark by the time we reached.

We sat on the chairs placed on the rooftop, enjoyed hot onion pakoras and tea with cool evening breeze coming from the Bay of Bengal.

The clear water along with the beach of Chandpur reveals its truest colour during the full moon nights when the bright light of the bright moon transforms the sea into silver and makes the beach a golden landscape. We reached here just after the full moon night.

A lonely walk on the beach during the full-moon night is an unforgettable moment in itself.

We woke up early morning the next day at 5.00 am and rushed to the rooftop for a view of sunrise. But alas, the sky was covered by dark clouds and the Sun couldn’t be seen. In fact, weather, later on, turned stormy and we had thundershowers during the day.

The sky was covered by dark clouds and the Sun couldn’t be seen.

EROSION OF BEACH

The Chandpur beach is a little different from other beaches in the vicinity like Digha. The coastal tract here is being eroded by seawater, resulting in the lowering of the beach and recession of the bank.

The stonewalls form a porous boundary. So, when the roaring waves travel until this boundary, a portion of its energy is absorbed by the rocks. Being porous, they let some water flow around, rather than against it. This prevents erosion of the coastline.We walked on the boulders and stones for a while by the sea, with the sea waves lashing under our feet and drenching us at some places.

The access to the beach is a little awkward due to the erosion-prevention measures using boulders and sal trunks.

The beach is almost inaccessible during high tide; however low tides reveal a large part of the beach, where you can try to get yourself wet.

People walked to the sea during low tide at Tajpur, Purba Medinipur district, West Bengal, IndiaTajpur sea coast, Purba Medinipur district, West Bengal, IndiaThere is an embankment path that goes parallel to the beach to Shankarpur and Digha.

The coastal area is vulnerable to coastal erosion due to unbridled and rampant human interventions. The rate of erosion has been found to be about 15-20 meters per year in some parts between Digha and Mandarmani. Damages are caused by the inundation of coastal areas due to periodic storm and tidal surges, seasonal high-velocity winds, storms, and cyclones.

Engineering solutions through civil constructions of appropriate shore protection measures and bio-shields are progressively being provided by the government to mitigate the vulnerability to coastal hazards.

A shack on the beach just across our resort in Chandpur, Purba Medinipur district, West Bengal, India

There is a shack on the beach just across our resort. Babai and I went there had some cups of hot tea and omelet on bread. We had some nice chat about the place with the owners. They informed us that the sea used to be a couple of kilometres away from the present coastline.

BANKIM CONNECTION

The famous Bengali writer Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay was one of the first graduates of the University of Calcutta. He was the composer of India’s national song Vande Mataram, originally in Sanskrit stotra personifying India as a mother goddess and inspiring the activists during the Indian Independence Movement. From 1858, until his retirement in 1891, he served as a deputy magistrate and deputy collector in the Government of British India. He used to visit the Chandpur Inspection Bungalow riding by his horse frequently but that Bungalow is now completely engulfed by the sea. Locals say that the spot is about 3 km inside the sea from the current coastline!

LUNCH AT TAJPUR BEACH

While coming to Chandpur, we noticed that there are several restaurants in shacks on the Tajpur beach. We decided to leave the resort and go to Tajpur beach for our lunch before we return back home. Tajpur beach is a more popular beach with more people, restaurants in the shacks by the sea. We entered into one of them — Maa Basuli — for our lunch.

Tajpur is slowly carving out a niche for itself as the stopover destination between the two major centers Digha and Shankarpur. The red crabs that are found here in plenty and the gentle breeze that lulls idle strolls by the sea make Tajpur a perfect place for a getaway.

Tajpur sea coast, Purba Medinipur district, West Bengal, India

The restaurants there cook fresh as per orders. They asked us to choose local fish and/or local crabs. We opted for fries of Pomfret (brama brama), Ilish (Tenualosa ilisha), Bhola Bhetki (Nibea Soldado) and crabs masala along with rice and dal (pulses).

Masala crab … yummy! Enjoyed it with beer. 🙂FishCrabsBy the time our foods were being cooked and served, we had several rounds of beers.

It was raining outside so we couldn’t get near to the waters.

The kids were playing on the hammocks in the shacks.

We enjoyed our hot lunch while it was raining outside. The fish and crabs were so fresh and when these were cooked they tasted yummy, finger-licking delicious. These restaurants are family run business units. Two young kids were serving our foods. Their schools are on puja vacation until Bhai-phonta or Bhai-dooj. So, they are also helping their family during this vacation.

We took a picture with those two smart kids before we left for our home

The taste of the foods is still lingering in our mouth. It was an awesome experience. In fact, the last lunch was our the best experience of this trip.

A SERENE BEACH

Chandpur is best for spending your weekend in serenity by the sea. It is a secluded getaway near Kolkata for those who want a serene beach destination far away from the hullabaloo of the cities and the popular beaches nearby. It is indeed the cleanest stretch of beach anywhere in West Bengal, mainly because it’s still largely untouched by the tourists.

PS: I am getting many requests for the phone number of Hotel Moon. I don’t have the phone number and any such requests or comments will not be entertained and will be deleted.

Thanks Somali.
The coastal tract near Digha is being eroded by seawater, resulting in the lowering of the beach and recession of the bank. The rate of erosion has been found to be about 17 meters per year in some parts. The fate of the inspection bungalow highlights the urgency for conservation of the coastline.

Oh Yes! We love this place along with Tajpur 😀 Actually, as you did, we generally have our lunch at Tajpur beach shacks. Their “kNakra’r jhal” and Deshi murgir mangsho” taste heavenly… 😀 Glad you enjoyed the trip… 🙂 Nice pictures as well…